


Our Secret

by Apparentlynotreallyfinnish



Series: Rhink ficlets [11]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 08:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20991686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish/pseuds/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish





	Our Secret

They’re laying on the grass next to the river. They’ve been laying there for a while. Link is sprawled next to Rhett, his long limbs pointing every which way, eye closed, hair matted over his forehead.

Rhett closes his eyes again. The sun is beating down on them. His swim trunks are already dry and his skin feels heated and tight around his muscles. Too tight. Rhett feels like it’s making him curl into himself like a dried leaf.

He feels brittle.

His heart is beating fast when the name slips out of his mouth.

“Link?”

Rhett’s heart beats faster, almost painfully against his ribs. He opens his eyes and turns his head towards the boy next to him.

“Mmh?” Link mutters, not opening his eyes.

“Wanna go steady with me?”

The laugh is instant and pure, sounds like little crystals clinking against each other. Even though it hurts a bit - hurts that he doesn’t immediately understand - Rhett still smiles, because when Link laughs that’s what he does.

“I’m serious,” Rhett says and hoists himself up from the ground, wrapping his arms around his bare legs. How is his skin this hot? Can’t be normal.

Link opens one eye and trains it on Rhett. The flash of blue stabs at Rhett’s heart.

“You got a sun stroke, bo?” Link asks with a lopsided grin.

“No,” Rhett says, indignant, annoyed still that Link is not taking him seriously. “Come on, Link. Go steady with me.”

“Boys can’t do that,” Link says then, all matter-of-fact and final. His eye closes and he shifts into a more comfortable position.

“Why not?”

“They just can’t.”

“Says who?”

Link sighs deep like he’s a parent in the middle of an important phone call, having to gently discipline a child that’s bothering him. He opens his eyes fully now and looks at Rhett.

“The bible,” he says with the certainty of a boy brought up in the South.

“It does not,” Rhett huffs.

“It does too,” Link insists. He’s gotten up on his elbow, shielding his eyes from the unyielding shine of the sun with his other hand.

“The bible says you can’t _marry_ a man. Says nothing about going steady,” Rhett says, feeling vindicated. He’s made sure; he’s checked.

Link regards him silently for a beat, then turns to look at the river lazily rolling by. Rhett looks too, stares at the sun bouncing off of the ripples and swirls. He waits. Waits and his heart beats in his ears and he’s scared that Link’s gonna laugh again.

“Huh,” Link finally says. Rhett can see from the corner of his eye that Link is frowning; eyebrows threaded so deep together they almost look like they meet.

“So?” Rhett prods. He knows he probably shouldn’t. Link needs to take his time; he’s got that thinking face on and Rhett should leave him to it. Sometimes Link gets mad when Rhett won’t let him think. He lashes out; little ball of energy bursting at the seams. Not that he’s little anymore. Neither of them are.

“Okay,” Link says after an impossibly long stretch of silence.

“Okay?” Rhett asks, surprised, the word barely a whisper. There’s a happiness blooming in his chest, waiting to erupt into the hot afternoon air.

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll go steady with you,” Link says again, making Rhett’s smile widen with his own. He gets up too, brushes loose grass from his back and leans against his knees.

“Okay,” Rhett repeats, beaming like suddenly _he’s_ the sun. Link licks his lips and shifts again, inches closer to Rhett until they’re side to side. Link is hot. In more ways than one. Rhett shivers when they touch. Link tilts his head towards him.

“Gimme a kiss then,” he says, but it sounds more like an order. He says it like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Rhett swallows and his smile falters. He hadn’t thought about what they’d do if Link agreed. He hadn’t thought further than saying the words.

A kiss is reasonable, though. He kissed Amber too when they went steady. Link had as well.

Rhett leans towards him, thinking that Link must hear his heart thumping in his chest. It’s so loud it makes the rush of the river fade away.

Their lips meet. Link’s are soft; just like Rhett had imagined. He can feel Link’s smile in their kiss. His stomach makes a somersault and then settles. This feels right. Link opens his mouth and that feels right as well. 

Link’s hands are in Rhett’s hair. Rhett’s are on Link’s cheek and on his back. They tilt backwards. The grass is soft. Everything is soft and sweet and then suddenly, it’s not. Something hard presses against Rhett’s thigh and he realizes he could make Link feel real good if he touched it.

But he won’t. Not yet. It’s too soon. 

This is good. This is enough for now; Link’s smile against his lips and the sun on his back and the long summer ahead.

“Probably shouldn’t tell anyone, though,” Link whispers between kisses.

Link’s words tighten around Rhett’s heart. He’s right. It feels unfair, but Link is right.

“It’ll be our secret,” Rhett promises.

They’re laying on the grass next to the river. They’ll be laying there for a while.


End file.
